Kamen Rider DenO: What Hurts The Most
by Jamaican Princess Rocquellan
Summary: Ryoutaro becomes lost and end up meeting Yuuto. He then learns a few things he wish he never knew. Angst, Implied YuutoxRyoutaro.


My second attempt at Kamen Rider Den-O, comments are appreciated :)

* * *

"Deneb, let's stop here for a while," Yuuto muttered to his trusted imagin.

"Hai, Yuuto-kun," Deneb answered with an enthusiastic bow.

They both sat in one of Zeroliner's train cars, mindless and bored out of their wits. There's been no report of any evil imagins the whole day and there was nothing to do. Deneb had cooked and served Yuuto dinner an hour ago and now he suggested that to relieve the boredom they find an open lot and roast marshmallows.

Surprisingly, Yuuto agreed. They found an abandoned warehouse district with a big enough yard space to park Zeroliner for the time being.

The train door opened and the cool winter air hit Yuuto square in the face. The temperature wasn't really cold, but it wasn't warm either and he stepped through the open door in an attempt to find a good place to stay.

"Yuuto! Here's a blanket so you don't catch a cold!" Deneb shouted while running out to meet his contract holder.

With an exasperated sigh the young fighter turned around and looked his imagin straight in the eyes. "Deneb, will you stop it. How can I catch a cold in this weather?"

"But Yuuto…" Deneb muttered with the green blanket clutched close to his chest. He wanted to protest but the scowl on Yuuto's face told him to shut it.

"Did you remember the marshmallows?" Yuuto asked a little more cheerfully after he turned his back to the other.

Deneb reached under his clothes and magically pulled out a huge bag of white marshmallows. "Hai," he answered before running up behind the wandering Yuuto. They found a decent spot far away from any buildings and igneous items where they built a small camp fire. The open air made it took a little longer than it should have to start the fire but eventually they had a low one going. Deneb found two thin twigs for them to put the marshmallows on and they both sat a moment later with the open bag between them, roasting a few.

"Yuuto…" Deneb started some time later, watching the fire cause the outside of the confection to caramelize.

Yuuto turned his gaze towards Deneb expectantly.

"Do you hate Nogami?"

"Huh?" Yuuto asked before looking into the fire himself. Why did Deneb have to ask something like that at such a time? It wasn't like he hated the guy, he just thought with his bad luck and weak state he shouldn't have been Den-O.

"Tsk, I don't hate him," Yuuto answered grudgingly.

"Yuuto, you want to be friends with Nogami!" Deneb shouted in excitement before twisting his legs and kneeling before Yuuto. He was so happy to hear that.

"Oi, Deneb, I don't want to be his friend either."

The imagin deflated at that last comment. "But Yuuto…"

"Not hating him doesn't mean I'm a fan of his either. Besides, your marshmallow is burning," the rider cut in. He snickered when Deneb tried to grab the marshmallow itself and nearly burned his fingers.

"Yuuto…," Deneb muttered in despair, cradling his burnt fingers to his chest.

"Here…" Yuuto said, reaching a hand out for his imagin to take. When Deneb placed his fingers in his hand he took a small bottle of water he had close by and poured the content over Deneb's fingers.

The imagin sighed contently at how good it felt; then he turned a loving gaze at his contract holder.

"Oi, what the hell is that look for?" Yuuto asked before angrily pushing Deneb's hand away and turning away from him.

Deneb smiled but said nothing. Yuuto knew exactly what it was for.

**

* * *

**

_Hai, this couldn't be where Nii-san said her customer lived. She didn't say anything about abandoned buildings. I'm lost._

Ryoutaro walked with the special blend of ground coffee in his hands that Airi had asked him to drop off at a customer's home. He looked around, seeing nothing resembling a house in his sight and sighed. He had to try and find his way back to the Milk Dipper and let his sister know he couldn't make the delivery. He wondered how long it would take him to get back with his bad luck. He rounded a corner, looking for the way back when the sound of voices drifted to his ears; the sound of familiar voices.

The first thing Ryoutaro spotted was the fire, then the two figures sitting around it. He smiled, ecstatic at seeing a familiar face and immediately moved towards them.

"Yuuto!" Ryoutaro shouted, making sure to wave. This action caused him to not look where he was going and he stepped on a bunch of pebbles and slipped, sprawling out on his back on the cold ground with the coffee bag still in his hand.

"Nogami!" Deneb shouted before bounding over and helping the teen to his feet.

Ryoutaro winced when Deneb tried to brush the dirt off him with his hands; they felt very heavy against his sensitive body.

"Hai, thank you Deneb," Ryoutaro said before bowing politely to the green imagin. With Deneb holding his free hand he walked over to where Yuuto stood with his arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

"Yuuto…" Ryoutaro blushed.

"Nogami…" came the stern reply.

"I'm lost; will you help me get home?"

"Oh! Have a marshmallow first," Deneb butted in, running over to grab his own twig and handing it to Ryoutaro with a few of the confection on it.

Ryoutaro took the stick before nodding and smiling slightly.

Deneb was pissing Yuuto off. He shot the imagin an angry look and Deneb immediately turned away from him.

"Shall we?" Ryoutaro asked and Yuuto didn't have the heart to say no. Besides, it was like he said; he didn't hate the guy with his clumsiness and world class bad luck, he just wasn't a fan.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later Deneb and Ryoutaro seemed like some long lost half off the same soul; they were both idiots.

Yuuto had to sit and listen to the chit chatter of two very thoughtless people. Ryoutaro agreed with everything Deneb had to say and vice versa. When it got to the exchanging of recipe for some special chicken soup Yuuto all but blew a gasket.

"Deneb! Leave, now!"

"But…"

"No buts, go Deneb," Yuuto cut in irately. He pointed a finger at Zeroliner and watched as Deneb lowered his head sadly before disappearing into the ground.

"I don't think that was necessary," Ryoutaro muttered nervously.

Yuuto didn't care what anybody wanted to think. Deneb was hogging his attention all to himself and he didn't like it.

"Whatever," Yuuto answered before popping the umpteenth marshmallow into his mouth lazily. He avoided eye contact with the other rider even though he didn't want to. If he could he would have studied Ryoutaro because he wanted to find out why he was able to be the person he is with all the negative circumstances in his life. He hated to admit it intrigued him; Ryoutaro intrigued him.

Ryoutaro put his own stick on the ground before hugging his knees towards his chest. He couldn't understand the other's cold exterior at all, even if he didn't hate the guy.

"Ano… Deneb is only trying to help," Ryoutaro muttered rhetorically. He didn't expect Yuuto to hear what he had said, so when the other answered with a tired 'I know' he was a little surprised.

"Don't look at me like that," Yuuto scoffed when Ryoutaro's shocked gaze fell upon him. "If it wasn't for him I probably wouldn't be here."

Ryoutaro smiled. It was much easier to like Yuuto now knowing that he was in fact a good person.

"Momo-tachi all worry over me too."

Yuuto's lips curved into a small smile, "With your luck who wouldn't?"

They both ended up laughing at that.

At that moment Yuuto's eyes fell on the paper bag Ryoutaro had beside him. "What do you have there?"

"Nee-san asked me to deliver this," Ryoutaro answered before patting the bag.

At the mention of Airi, Yuuto's smile faded. "I'm suppose to marry her in the future, right?"

Looking into the fire, Ryoutaro nodded his head in answer.

"What if she's not the one I want?" Yuuto commented idly.

"Eh?!" Ryoutaro started perplexed.

"I know I will marry her because it's already happened, but what if she's not the one I want?"

Ryoutaro couldn't mention how deep that question had hurt him; he felt like crying. "You'd marry Nee-san then cheat on her with another woman?"

"Nogami, what are you saying….?" Yuuto started before moving to sit close to the other teen. He could see those dark eyes watering and he reached a hand up and wiped the first drop away. "I'd never cheat on Airi with another woman, but knowing me, I probably did it to get close to somebody else."

Ryoutaro was confused; what was that suppose to mean? In a fit of anger he stood abruptly and stared at the other man. "If you dare to hurt Nee-….."

And that's when he was swiftly cut off with a kiss.

It dawned on him at the moment, that kiss, bringing with it its own nostalgia and new memories of the older Sakurai-san that had in fact been in love with his sister. But now he was confused as to whom exactly Sakurai-san had been in love with; his sister or…him.

Bringing both hands up, Ryoutaro pushed Yuuto away from him. He felt confused, lost and hurt. Suddenly there were memories of him and Sakurai Yuuto together, doing things they shouldn't be doing when Airi was out, doing said things even when she was around but was in no position to find them out;

Craving his sister's lover.

Ryoutaro turned pained eyes at Yuuto, "Why?" he asked brokenly.

"If I stay with her as long as I hear I did…then I'll end up wanting you both," Yuuto answered. He wasn't trying to be mean as opposed to truthful, but from the look on Ryoutaro's face he could tell he took that statement the wrong way.

The tears silently fell down Ryoutaro's cheeks. He remembered how Yuuto had him fall for him even though he knew he was sleeping with Airi, but it was like he said, he had wanted him before he wanted his sister. Basically he had his cake and ate it too before he disappeared.

"I can't forgive you," Ryoutaro said.

Yuuto took one step closer to Ryoutaro's dazed figure. "You won't have to; you'll feel the same eventually."

Ryoutaro covered his mouth with one hand when he realized that was true; he couldn't fight it no matter how hard he would try. He allowed Yuuto to wrap both his arms around him and pull him into a tight hug.

He wish he'd never come here…or lay eyes on the man before him.

When Yuuto held his chin and pulled his face up for another kiss he didn't relent, he didn't back away. He only prayed that one day he would have the resolve to say no to the man that would become his sister's fiancé.


End file.
